Chinese idiom · 成语
危言耸听
Meaning
Alarming words shock ears; sensational claims.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary usageRelated language appears in Lü Zuqian's Song examination question about Jia Yi's anxious advice to Emperor Wen. Lü asks whether Jia Yi's alarming words merely vented frustration, then considers a more sympathetic explanation: serious concern for good government. This is a discussion of forceful political warning, not simply a verdict that Jia Yi spread false alarms.
The exact expression occurs in the Qing official Fan Chengmo's memorial Shang Feng Shi Shu, where he worries that his own warning may alarm the throne but says he cannot remain silent. In modern use, the idiom usually criticizes exaggerated or sensational claims that needlessly frighten people.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
这篇文章只拿个别事故下结论，未免危言耸听。
This article draws conclusions from isolated accidents and is rather alarmist.
Criticizes sensational, exaggerated warnings; a serious warning is not automatically alarmist.